


Corrupted by the Future

by crowkiiing



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Dangan Ronpa: Another Episode, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Add tags as I go, Despair, Future Foundation, Hope, Multi, Role Reserval, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2017-01-08
Packaged: 2018-08-07 11:14:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7712722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crowkiiing/pseuds/crowkiiing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where the good guys (Future Foundation) are now the bad guys (Ultimate Despair) and vice versa, there's havoc wrecked among the streets at the fault of Makoto Naegi. There are two choices of how to defeat despair: completely destroy them, or give them a hope to live off of.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Entry 01

**Author's Note:**

> I'm just putting this up for the time-being, it's unknown when I'm going to get to work on it. So, yeah, the good guys such as Makoto, Aoi, and Future Foundation are now apart of the Ultimate Despair and other things such as the Warriors of Hope, while the formerly bad guys such as The Ultimate Despair, Monaca Towa, and Kurokuma are now apart of Future Foundation~
> 
> This might be a little hard to understand at first, but we'll get there.

_Thoughts on The Tragedy_

  
**The following was found in a notebook that was discarded on a desk in an organization known as Future Foundation. It is unknown who it belongs to.**

* * *

 

When the world first fell to the Tragedy, I believed that we could still recover on our own. However, I was wrong. As despair slowly consumed human-kind, a despair that told the tale of pure chaos and death, people were left to find on the streets, to survive on their own.

Which is why Future Foundation was created under the power of Taichi Fujisaki. He might have been much older then me, yes, he used to be a father of one, but he commanded Future Foundation with an iron fist, despite being as meek as he could be.

The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History was not something you just joked around about. People, known as the Ultimate Despairs, killed and destroyed just for the fun of it.

The person who caused it all... the person who caused it all was Makoto Naegi.

At first, he seemed like a simple boy, someone who belonged to the seventy-eighth class while I was in the Reserve Course in contrast to many people in Future Foundation, who mostly belonged to the seventy-seventh class and several other organizations.

I... didn't really know what triggered the Tragedy. Maybe it was the terrible event of the Reserve Course students rioting (while I wasn't with them, I could understand where their pain came from), or maybe the mutual killing game that someone by the name of Genocider Syo forced the student council students in.

But there was no time wasted in the world succumbing to despair. Makoto's followers made quick work of those who believed in hope on the streets- to be truthful, it didn't matter if they believed in hope or not, the Ultimate Despair would still kill them and laugh in glee as they danced upon bodies and bodies of innocent people.

Under the bloom of despair, whose's petals were tainted with a enchanting yet agonizing taste, Future Foundation surged up, thorns in Makoto's side. Did we give up hope as his followers slaughtered dozens of people, if not hundreds?

Of course not, and I refuse to let that slide now.

But... then something happened.

Makoto died, supposedly to what we now classify as the Ultimate Hope, Junko Enoshima.

I remember seeing the Mutual Killing game that both she and 'Makoto Naegi' (not really, his sister, Komaru Naegi, stood in for him until he 'died' then reappeared as the mastermind) had to go through.

There were survivors, of course, but only two of them were not apart of the Ultimate Despair. Junko Enoshima and her sister, Mukuro Ikusaba. I didn't understand how they had different surnames, but they did, and when asked, Junko only laughs it off.

The other four survivors were Byakuya Togami, Kyouko Kirigiri (who could be called Makoto's right-hand woman in achieving despair), Yasuhiro Hagakure, and Touko Fukawa.

The Ultimate Despair's power weakened after Makoto's death, but some still held a tight hold.

Some people in Future Foundation- Nagito, for example, or Fuyuhiko- believed that the Ultimate Despair needed to be truly destroyed, through and through, killing them.

Yet, wouldn't that be the same thing? Killing people?

There was another way, wasn't there?

I'm not just going to let them destroy the Ultimate Despair- if the Ultimate Despair can evolve from normal high-school students, there must be a way to turn that despair into hope to thrive on.  


	2. Begin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep in mind I have to change some canon events. :)  
> Let's see if this story turns out to be a complete flunk and crash and burn, or somehow turns into a somewhat-understandable story.

_Makoto Naegi. Ultimate Good Luck, otherwise known as the Ultimate Despair._

"Muku, you're still pouring over him?"

Mukuro Ikusaba immediately closed the database once the words floated through her ears. "No." 

Nails dug into her shoulder as her sister leaned in close, breath ghosting over her cheek as Junko Enoshima stretched out one petite limb and dragged one fake nail across the screen. 

"You couldn't have of saved him, you know," the strawberry-blonde girl said.

"For someone who is the Ultimate Hope, you're rather... persistent with that fact." 

Junko sighed, flicking a thick lock of hair out of her eyes and in an instant, her personality changed, mushrooms starting to grow on either side of her head. "I know.. I sometimes regret it, you know? Maybe I could've saved him, someone who was really beyond any hopes of saving... would the Ultimate Hope be able to do that...?" 

Tapping one finger against the sensitive screen, the electronic database lit up like someone had shot a firework into the sky, flashing with a sharp noise. 

"The whole reason why we joined Future Foundation is so we could save the Remnants of Despair."

"I know that, but still. Perhaps you could've been the Ultimate Hope, although you're not as pretty as I am..." 

"Do people really care about appearance nowadays, seeing how they're trying to recover from the tragedy?"

Junko opened her mouth to reply, but there was a popping noise. Both sisters looked over their shoulders to see a black-and-white bear hobbling towards them- one of the many Monokuma robots that were scattered through the building and were built for means of communication. 

With slow steps, the machine came closer, then opened it's jaw, which had sharp teeth on the left side and smooth on the other. Mukuro stuck out her hand and allowed herself to be punctured on the very tip of her finger, causing blood to bubble up. She then wiped it on the smooth part of his maw, to which Monokuma finally closed his mouth after she withdrew her hand. 

The red eye on Monokuma's black side blinked once, twice, and that's when Junko reached out to touched his nose. He beeped. 

"Ikusaba. Enoshima. Someone has proposed a plan for how we take down the Remnants of Despair. While they are scattered around the world, some places have more activity then the other ones. Can you two, perhaps meet in the Directior's Office?"

"A meeting?!" Once again, Junko's aura changed. "Fuck yeah! It's been ages since we've done anything around here! All we're doing is sitting around on our asses!" 

"Junko, we're apart of the 14th Division."

"That doesn't matter!" 

"That's spreading the news of Future Foundation to the public. It's not like we go outside, we do this through electronics alongside Kazuichi."

"Kazuichi doesn't do shit! Sure, he builds the electronic and that stuff, but it's not like he gives a fuck anyway!" 

Pressing two fingers to her temple, Mukuro sighed, "I'm not going to bother with fighting against you verbally," she turned her attention to the Monokuma, whose's eyes were now a dull red compared to the pulsing he used to have beforehand. "I suppose the message is over. Shall we go?" 

Junko laughed, digging her long nails into her hair. "Very well, my dear sister!" 

Mukuro shut off the database for the second time within a span of a few minutes, noticing that a crown had somehow appeared on the top of Junko's head. 

"Let us walk the red carpet to this meeting that will choose the fate of human-kind!" 

"... Junko, that's not an over-exaggeration like you usually do in this personality." 

"Of course not! To lie would be a crime!" 

Finding no reason to argue with her sister, as Junko was the more commanding of the two despite being younger, Mukuro stood, offering a pale hand to her sister, who brushed it off and stood on her own, adjusting her top. 

The Monokuma had wobbled off somewhere, probably to return back to whoever sent it. 

Running a pale hand through her choppy black hair, Mukuro looked side to side as she exited the room. A decently-loud hum came from her right, and it irritated her, but she was used to such antics from Kazuichi Souda, who was probably the one indirectly making the noise from a machine or something of the sorts. 

Junko, however, didn't react as good. 

Ripping the door open, she hollered, "Kazuichi Souda, keep it _down!"_

There was a loud squeak (probably Kazuichi yelping in surprise) and the sound of metal screeching across metal before the outrageous color scheme of Kazuichi Souda appeared before them.

"Honestly, honey," Junko wrinkled her nose. "You need to fix your fashion sense."

"H-Hey!" Kazuichi waved the wrench he held tightly in his oil-slicked hands. "My fashion sense is perfectly fine!"

Junko raised an eyebrow, casting one hand over her blue eyes. "Useless, useless, useless," she clicked her tongue. "Useless arguing against me, the Ultimate Fashionista."

"Wha- Ultimate Fashionista?! Nagito said you were the Ultimate Hope!" 

"I am known by multiple talents." 

 Kazuichi huffed, but Mukuro doubted he had the spine to fight against her, but just in case, she sent a properly-placed glare in his direction, one that caused Kazuichi to take a step back (and nearly trip over a wire), sweat beads on either side of his head. 

"Junko, we're wasting our time," the black-haired girl sighed at last, taking her sister by the wrist and tugging her away from Kazuichi. "The meeting, remember?"

"Ohhhhh, I remember that!" Junko puffed out her cheeks, adopting a cutesy voice, to which Kazuichi seemed like he was choking because of it before he closed the door. "Do you think that Nagito will let me braid his fluffy wisps of hair~?" 

"Maybe," was Mukuro's only response.

They passed Hajime Hinata in the hall, who was apart of the 2nd Division. He seemed to be writing something in a notebook, and therefore didn't look up when they walked past him. 

"Oh, so I guess Old Man Fujisaki sent you a message too.." 

Ice blue eyes found gold in a second, instaneously letting go of Junko's wrist before a hand jabbed her in the abodemen, but Mukuro was quick to react, grabbing the hand with an iron grip and yanking. Her foot kicked out, slamming into the person's stomach as she pulled the hand downward just before letting go. 

"At least you got a hit in this time," Mukuro said as the attacker burst into wheeze on the ground. 

Junko's attitude changed once more, as in an instant, her hair was in a ponytail rather then pigtails and she pushed thin-rimmed glasses up her nose. "It's getting quite boring, you challenging her every time you see each other. Do you want to die at the hands of my sister?" 

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu sat up, one hand held protectively over his stomach and the other braced against the ground to support himself. "Oh, shut the fuck up. I can fight her if I want to, okay?!"

"I don't really mind. It keeps my skills in shape." 

Junko switched personalities again. "Oh... but what happens if I lose my sister... wouldn't that be terrible...? Despairing, even...?"

"Despair is what we're working _against,_ " Fuyuhiko snapped, pulling himself up. "Ultimate Hope, my ass." 

"Right," Mukuro said, massaging the spot where the boy had hurt her as she caught glimpse of him glancing towards it, as if he expected it to have more effect. There was no harm in boosting his pride in landing a hit, was there...?

She didn't miss the sudden confident spark in his eyes, the clench of his fist, or the smirk that made its' way across his lips as he stood.  

"You three, are you going to go to the meeting or what? Geez. I thought at least Mukuro was responsible." 

The said three turned towards the female voice, who had a fist ground into the curve of her hip, frowning. 

"Oi, shut it, Koizumi," Fuyuhiko snarled, his harsh way of speaking (and using last names to refer to pretty much everyone) carrying through the hallway. "You're not our mom or somethin' along those lines." 

While almost everyone in Future Foundation knew that Fuyuhiko was trying to change, but his former life-style leaked in his words and manners. He still swore, but his insults weren't as... brash, according to people who knew him beforehand, such as the said female.

Mahiru Koizumi looked over at him with a raised eyebrow, but paid no attention to him as she turned her gaze to Mukuro and Ikusaba. "I'm surprised you two were inivited, as I talked to Mr. Taichi beforehand, and he said it would only be division leaders." 

"Why are _you_ here, then, dipshit?!"

"Because I was promoted to division leader like a week ago." 

Junko yawned. "This is getting boring..."

"Didn't you say that's why you changed personalities so often?" Mukuro questioned her sister.

"Fuck yeah! It would be way too borin' if I just set myself to one!" 

While Fuyuhiko and Mahiru had their little 'lover's argument' in the background (that's the only way Mukuro knew how to put it, as it was mostly swearing provided by the former and Mahiru chastising him), Mukuro started to walk again, reaching the staircase at the end of the hall with her sister beside her. 

By the footsteps, it sounded like the other two were (at least somewhat) close behind, and Junko ran up the stairs, her strawberry-blonde pigtails bouncing up and down as if they were on a sugar high. 

Meanwhile, the other survivor followed behind, much slower pace compared to the Ultimate Hope's, but still making her way up the stairs quickly. 

As they reached the door with their logo on it, a large, grinning Monokuma, Junko bounced up and down, in her cute personality once again. "Nagitoooo~! Oh, oh, I hope Mikan will let me comb her hair again!" 

"Mikan did seem pretty happy when you had those fake flowers in her hair," Mahiru said, coming up behind the two. "Didn't she say something along the lines of not having a flower crown before...?" 

"Probably somethin' like that," Fuyuhiko scoffed, digging the tip of his shoe into the ground. "She always saying something like that. The girl was basically starved of every day normal things."

"Are you saying no boys have that?!"

"Good grief, you're being fucking sexist!" 

"Oh... maybe if... I could somehow stop them from arguing..." 

"That's just the way they are, Junko." 

 Her seemingly-depressed sister only sadly twirled a lock of hair around her fake fingernails as Mukuro stepped up to the scanner on the left side of the door. Leaning down so that the light-blue wave washed over her eye, the scanner beeped. "Mukuro Ikusaba."

"Alongside Junko Enoshima, Mahiru Koizumi, and Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu." 

There was the sounds of a machine whirring, and she looked up at the camera that was looking down at all of them.

"Clear." 

The door opened with only a small clang, and the four of them stepped in. 

"Ah, you all made it!" 

"Hi, Fujisaki." 

Mukuro gave a nod to the head of the Future Foundation, Taichi Fujisaki, who looked both exhausted and pleased at the same time. Behind him, she could see three other people that were currently present. 

Sonia Nevermind, who was the head of the 11th Division and helped with restoring agricultural in places where disasters happened. 

Nekomaru Nidai, the head of the 2nd division, which oversaw most of the day-to-day operations.

And last but not least was someone who went by the name Ryuji. After considering their choices, Ryuji did come out- their talent was the Ultimate Impostor, and they were still trying to settle in with gender pronouns of their choice (Mukuro really felt bad for them, they couldn't even remember their gender) as well as an appearance. Right now it was a dark-skinned man with a buzz-cut and striking blue eyes. How they had blue eyes that were brighter then Junko's, she wasn't sure. 

Ryuji was the head of Mukuro and Junko's division- the 14th Division.

"Hello!" Sonia beamed. 

Ryuji's expression shifted to one of disbelief. "... why are Mukuro and Junko here?"

"I-I thought it would be obvious," Taichi muttered, his shoulders slumped. "They're the only one of the surivors of the second Mutual Killing Game that weren't the Ultimate Despair... the only two in the entire class, no less..."

"That's not entirely confirmed," Fuyuhiko reminded him. "We don't know if your son-" At this, the Fujisaki looked like he was about to break, biting hard at his lip. "- was apart of the Ultimate Despair, much less people such as Sayaka Maizono or Kiyotaka Ishimaru." 

"Exactly!" Nekomaru waved a hand at the small boy. "That's what I was trying to tell you, but you wouldn't listen. Heh, it's fine, though! Mistakes are apart of life!"

Taichi started to sweat. "Ah, yes, I suppose... take a seat, all of you. I'm sure everyone will be joining us shortly."

Mukuro took heed to his suggestion, choosing a sea next to Sonia and sitting down with a stiff frame. The former princess smiled at her, but that did nothing to calm Mukuro's nerves. 

The doors opened once more, and everyone's heads swerved towards it as Nagito Komaeda walked in, the head of the 12th Division, which overlooked restoring infrastructure. 

"Ah, I'm not late, am I?"

"Of course not," Taichi assured him as Nagito slid into the seat next to Fuyuhiko, who inched away from him (he wasn't the biggest fan of anyone, really, much less Nagito). 

"I was worrying I would be late again, since I got in a fight with Gundam coming down here... I'm not sure if he's coming, because one of his... Four Dark Devas of Destruction got injured." 

"Of course he would skip just because his hamsters got injured."

"Pardon you, dear photographer, the health of each and every one of my warriors is very important! Crimson Steel Elephant Maga-Z had to suffer a wound due to the unlucky one!"

"Hey, Supreme-Overlord-Who-Doesn't-Give-A-Shit, when'd you slip in unnoticed?" Fuyuhiko asked, kicking his legs up on the table. 

Gundam Tanaka, the head of the 13th Division, which was responsible for resource distribution, glowered at Fuyuhiko as he shuffled over to sit on the other side of Sonia. "Be grateful that someone with such a presence such as I cast a spell around this place so unwanted ears could not listen in!"

"Ah, yes, Gundam, we're very thankful that you could make it," Taichi laughed sheepishly. 

Nekomaru laughed and learned over to clap Gundam hard on the back, the dark-haired breeder looking at him strangely and scooting away as he did so.

 "Who are we still waiting for?" Sonia asked, bringing her hands together, folded, on the table in a manner of elegance.

"Teruteru, Nagisa, Yasuke, Mikan, Monaca, Kurokuma... I believe that's it," Nagito said, tapping one hand against the table.

At his voice, Junko straightened, and said in a sickly sweet voice, "Oh, Nagito~! Can I braid your hair?"

"Absolutely. I wouldn't say no to the Ultimate Hope, for-"

"Someone stop him before he goes on his hope rant again," Mahiru groaned as Junko patted the spot beside her. Nagito got up and moved to her side. 

"Ya want me to talk instead, huh, huh?! Oh, by the golly, no one asked me to chat before. Hah!" 

"Kurokuma-" 

The head of the 7th division, which was security and administration as well as therapy (even though Kurokuma was much more involved in security), Kurokuma waltzed on in, waving his hat about. 

"Maaaaaaaan, the security is shit around here! Like, which eye do I scan, the black one or the red one?" With that, Kurokuma lifted the eyepatch that was wound around his right eye. 

While Kurokuma was originally a Monokuma, which was the mascot of Future Foundation, he had an AI in him that made him different to others. He had high intellect, although he did nothing with it as all he did was talk. 

With a laugh, Kurokuma plopped down in the seat next to Taichi, pounding a black paw against the table as he laughed at himself. 

"A-Ah! I-I-I-I'm probably l-l-l-late, a-aren't I-I-I-I? P-Please d-d-don't h-h-h-h-hate meeeeeeeee!" 

There was only one person in Future Foundation that had such low self-confidence. 

There was a shuddering bang as Mikan Tsumiki let out another wail. "E-E-E-Eek!"

"Wha- how did you- end up-" Fuyuhiko tripped over his words, immediately looking away with a red face. Mahiru shot from her spot, and Mukuro could only assume that Mikan had tripped and ended up in some outrageous position... _again._

"Miss Tsumiki," the person from the door sighed, taking action in looking away from the girl as Mahiru helped her up. "That's the second time you tripped while I was with you!"

"I-I-I'm sorry!" Mikan shrieked. "Y-Y-Y-You c-c-can draw o-o-o-on m-m-me, or wo-wo-would you l-l-like-" 

"I would do nothing of the sort," Nagisa Shingetsu sighed.

While Mikan was the head of the 4th division, in charge of medicine (which was only fitting, seeing how she used to be the Ultimate Nurse before the Tragedy began), Nagisa was a mere child, perhaps five or so years younger then most of them. 

However, his intelligence was something to be admired- feared, even, if you got on his bad side- and that was one of the reason why he was the head of the 10th division, the division which focused on reviving education and cultrule. As one who used to be the Lil' Ultimate Social Studies, Nagisa belonged to that division, through and through.

"Monaca's not coming," he said after a moment, walking to the other side of Taichi and taking a seat. "She claimed that she was busy."

 "Aw, Monaca's not coming?" Junko pouted, wrapping Nagito's wispy white-colored hair around her finger and tugging slightly, getting an inaudible wince from the teenager. 

Monaca (who refused to give her last name) was the same age as Nagisa, and had just as high intellect, if not higher. She was a genius, as well as manipulative when it came to talking to those on the despair side, which is why she was rewarded with being the head of the 5th division: intelligence, inquiry, and counter-espionage. 

"No," Nagisa shook his head. 

"Ah... Yasuke's not coming, so all we're waiting for is Teruteru, then..." Taichi said.

"Mikan, my dear princess!" Junko waved a hand, the crowd once again on the top of her head. "Perhaps, once I am finished with my prince Nagito, will you let one such as I braid your hair as well with the flowers from our kingdom?"

"Y-Y-Yes, of c-c-c-course! W-W-W-Whatever you w-w-w-wish!" 

Junko seemed happy with that answer, and turned her attention back to Nagito's hair.

 "Ohhh, I heard my name~ Perhaps, you would like to say that in a long-drawn out moan at my pl-"

Kurokuma let out a bellow. "Teruteru! What up, my man?!" 

Teruteru Hanamura was a chef, and it was only fitting that he was the head of the 8th Division, the one responsible for food. 

"All right..." Taichi's voice was shaky, and low as everyone started chatting. 

No one seemed to pay attention to him.

"OI, YOU LITTLE FUCKERS, HE'S GOT SOMETHIN' TO SAY!" 

Everyone's attention was drawn to Junko, who then changed personalities, and smiling sweetly, pointed at Taichi. 

"Ah, yes, thank you..." Taichi looked sheepish. "N-Now, let's get this meeting started, shall we...?" 

 

 


	3. Our

"All right, old man," Fuyuhiko's feet didn't move from the table, although he did shift it so that his ankles that switched positions. "Tell us, you called a meeting why...?"

Taichi coughed into a fist, fixing his askew glasses hastily. All attention had landed on his shoulders, and he wasn't used to such longing stares- he had, in fact, mentioned the Ultimate Despair, and now the need to learn about what they were going to do about the people that constantly wrecked havoc among the streets glimmering in almost everyone's eyes. 

"Right," Taichi coughed again, his nerves jittery. "First of all, I hope you all realized that Yasuke is not here-"

"Is he really?" Junko commented, flicking a lock of strawberry-blonde hair over her shoulder with a roll of her eyes, but her attention didn't move from Nagito's hair. "Well, if I didn't notice him, that's to be expected... he doesn't stand out at all..." 

"Miss Junko," Sonia chided her. 

"Yeah, yeah, you're going to say something about respecting everyone, then Nekomaru's going to chime in, blah, blah, blah..."

Sonia looked mildly surprised, but it seemed that she was able to keep her mouth shut, and glanced over at Mukuro, who only shook her head to signal that it was a worthless battle to fight. 

"Um, Junko, could I ask that you not inter-"

"Sorrrrrrryyy, what was that, old man?" 

Taichi looked hurt, and that's when Nekomaru jumped to his defense. 

"JUNKO ENOSHIMA! You shall not treat your elders with such disrespect! Same goes for you, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu!" 

The said male rolled his eyes, but took his feet off the table, instead turning his head towards Taichi and raising a blonde eyebrow expectantly. "Go on, tell us about Yasuka or whatever the hell his name is."

"Yasuke," Mukuro corrected him without batting an eye. 

"Yes, please do!" Sonia clasped her hands together.

Taichi inhaled deeply before exhaling, the movement generally used for when he has to calm himself before delivering news that would shock the room into chaos.

"Yasuke Matsuda is dead."

It took a few moments to it to sink it, before, as Mukuro suspected Taichi to have expected, the room exploded. Everyone took it a different way.

Mikan wailed. "I-I-I-It's m-my fault! I-I-I-I'm sorry! I-I-I-I didn't t-t-t-treat him p-p-p-properly last t-t-t-time he c-c-came to se-see me!"

 "Oh, how saddening..." Sonia's former aura dissipated, and she folded her hands in her lap. Mukuro felt tempted to offer words of comfort to the princess, but she wasn't very good at that, as it wasn't something she usually dealt with. 

" _What?_ The neurologist has passed from this world? How? By what gate did he go through? I must speak to him!" 

Mahiru had her gaze fixed on the floor. Nagito had a similar expression, muttering something about the destruction of hope, and how hope will rebuild itself again, but his words faded off into mumbles. 

Junko... her sister hardly cared, and when Nagito's head slumped, she yanked hard on his hair for him to straighten. 

Nagisa placed a hand over his heart in respect, bowing his head so that the cowlicks on either side of his head bounced up and down in the slightest. Closing his eyes, he muttered a swift prayer to Yasuke, while Nekomaru mirrored his actions. 

"You guys are just gettin' in the dumps over that? HAH!" Kurokuma laughed heartily, and in turn, Ryuji glowered at him. 

"That is the life of a human being, Kurokuma," they said. "To laugh about it..."

"I'm a bear! Why should I care?! Hah, that rhymes~!" 

"Please remind me why he's the head of a division," the former Ultimate Impostor sighed. "If he wasn't, we wouldn't have to deal with this every now and then." 

Fuyuhiko scoffed, although Mukuro could see with a keen eye that he felt grief for the former Ultimate Neurologist. "Can we move on and stop fuckin' mopin'?" 

"See, he understands!" The black bear waved a paw towards the division leader, who looked like he was going to spit in the direction of Kurokuma, but decided against it. 

Taichi bit his lip. "We will offer our respects later, but, as of now, I'm focusing on finding the new leader for the Division."

"That's the one with weapons, isn't it?" Mahiru asked, cocking an eyebrow. 

"Yes, it is," Mukuro nodded, reaching out to the list she had stored in the back of her mind.

"Then Muku should be the Division Leader! She's a soldier!" Junko called out, tugging hard on Nagito's lock on hair. "Or maybe the Ultimate Blacksmith... is there someone like that?"

Nagito gave a pained smile. "Actually, yes, but I don't know his current location..." 

"Since when did you know the Ultimate Blacksmith?" 

"Former Ultimate Blacksmith," Nagito corrected. "They were the upperclassmen that were expelled in our first year."

"You mean when you got suspended?" Sonia asked, cocking her head. 

"Yes. He was apart of the three that were expelled." 

Nekomaru let out a loud 'shit', but no one paid attention to him (as it was rather normal for him to say 'shit', whenever it was softly or harshly), so it was only when he cleared his throat that everyone's eyes turned towards him. "You're talking about Seiko Kimura, right? Someone that was expelled with Seiko Kimura?"

A ripple of uneasy ran through everyone. 

Seiko Kimura was quite a well-known Ultimate Despair- she was the former Pharmacist, and handled a lot of superhuman drugs. That did all but stop problems on the Future Foundation's side. 

"The Ultimate Blacksmith and her?" Nagisa murmured. 

"Listen," Taichi attempted to get the reins of control again. "We'll fight against them, right?"

"And kill them," Fuyuhiko snarled.

Sonia frowned. "Is that... is that really necessary?"

" 'Course it is," the former yakuza spat. 

"Um, Mister Fuyuhiko, I know you're angered about how they slaughtered the entire Kuzuryuu Clan-" Taichi tried. 

Fuyuhiko sneered at him. "I'm not angry because of that. I'm angry because those little motherfuckers are destroying the goddamn world and we're just sitt-" 

He cut short, gritting his teeth. "I got out of control again..."

Taichi looked surprised. "U-Um, no, it's completely fine...!"

"About time you're growing up," Mahiru said. 

"Why don't you-"

"That's enough!" Nekomaru bellowed. 

Junko clicked her tongue as she moved from Nagito (who now had a selection of semi-neat braids with his messy hair- when was the last time that boy even brushed it?) to calmly run her nails through Mikan's hair, who was trembling from fear. 

"Um, yes, thank you, Mister Nekomaru," Taichi said awkwardly. 

He grunted in reply. 

"As I was saying. There is no need for concern towards any of the Ultimate Despair as of now. We're focusing on getting a new Division 9 leader." 

 "Who do you think is good?"

Another buzz. Kurokuma laughed, launching into a list of names that Mukuro couldn't even keep track herself. 

"Can I suggest something?" The former soldier called out, her voice small but commanding. 

Almost everyone in the building respected Mukuro Ikusaba- not just for her title, but her actual skill and the fact she survived the Mutual Killing Game along with Junko. 

"Thank you," Mukuro said once the silence settled, although it made her slightly uncomfortable. She didn't prefer speaking. "Now, I believe... what was her name? Peko? Peko Pekoyama?" 

The puzzles seem to fall into place on everyone's faces. 

"She is the former Swordswoman," Nagisa mused with a nod. "Of course, there is a danger with being a division leader..."

"You're one yerself, kid!" Kurokuma laughed. 

Teruteru, who had been quiet up till now (probably thinking up dirty pick-up lines and jokes, if Mukuro knew him even in the slightest). "Oh, is that so~? Perhaps, protection is needed?" 

Fuyuhiko spluttered. "O-Oi! Don't go making jokes like that!"

Teruteru winked, and she felt her stomach twist. 

Ryuji sighed, placing a pudgy hand on the table. "I, for one, will voice my opinion in this, and I agree that Peko would be possible. If I remember from our school days, her training would sometime interfere with her classes, which is why she missed it before Instructor..."

His voice faded into a whisper, and looks of regret flickered on faces throughout the room.

"We should've been able to save her before she fell into despair..."

"It was something I had not predicted... the Cleaning One falling into the hell that blossomed from the Despair One..." 

"Th- that is not our focus!" Taichi called out. "Who is not in favor of Peko Pekoyama becoming the new Division Leader?"

Junko shrugged, combing her hands through Mikan's choppy hair before selecting three chunks to braid. "I would prefer my sister, buuuuuut I don't really care."

"I-Isn't there a better option?"

It was hard to locate the stutter in Fuyuhiko's words, and Mukuro narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion, but the yakuza paid her no heed. 

"Is there something wrong?" Nagisa asked. 

"It's just that she'd be talented in doing swords and only swords if she was the former Swordswoman!"

"You make it sound as if she was a machine. She was your classmate," Mahiru sniffed. 

"Shut up!" 

"You two... were actually rather close, weren't you...?" Teruteru mused. "How close?" 

Fuyuhiko glowered at him, face set down in a deep scowl, but he didn't voice any other opinions. Leaning back, he looked towards Taichi with an expectant look in his eyes. "So? Is there a better option?" 

"Majority rules," Nekomaru said. "I think, but I respect your opinion..." 

Gundam let out a 'hah' as Fuyuhiko muttered something under his breath. "Do you wish for me to retrieve the Stoic One?"

"Gundam, she has feelings too, I'm not sure if she would like being referred to as the 'Stoic One'..." Sonia said to former Ultimate Breeder. 

"Blasphemy!" He huffed. "I have asked her if she minds such a title, she didn't respond, so I have titled her as such! If she was bothered by that, she would of have reacted!"

"And you probably wouldn't have your head if you annoyed her..." Nagisa did a 'shoo' motion at him. "Go get her." 

With that, Gundam stood with a flourish of his scarf and hand. 

A few minutes passed before Gundam entered the room with an elegant girl trailing behind him. Mukuro had never seen her before, and doubted she was of royalty much like Sonia was, but the swordswoman had a steely aura around her that told of elegance, grace, and deadliness. 

That image sort of faltered when she caught glimpse of the hamsters cupped in Peko's hands.

"I have retrieved her!" 

The red-eyed teenager (Mukuro still wasn't sure why she referred to everyone as 'boy' and 'girl', they were almost all adults) passed the hamsters back over to Gundam, whose's bony fingers wrapped around hers for a moment to ensure the safety of his closest companions into his palms.

(Mukuro also didn't miss how Fuyuhiko's hand curled into a fist when they had physical contact.)

"Do you need something of me?" She blinked, cocking her head.

"Um, Peko," Taichi shifted uncertainly as she slid into a seat.  "Have you heard about Yasuke?"

She blinked in response, then shook her head no, braids swaying side to side.

"H-He's passed."

Rather then the panicked expression Mukuro had seen on everyone before on being alerted of a death, Peko closed her eyes. "... I see. And I assume I've been called her because I'm being promoted to the new Division leader?"

"Ah! Perhaps, you have the ability to see the future!" Sonia clapped her hands together, blue eyes shining. 

"... no. I just guessed." 

"... oh. Very well, then!"

"Yes, Peko, you're being promoted to the leader of Division 9. Are you okay with that?"

A firm nod. "I will do my very best." 

"Now that that's settled... shall we move onto the meeting you mentioned?" Nagisa cocked his head. 

"Please inform me." 

"We were told that he had a plan for defeating the Ultimate Despair," Ryuji informed Peko.

"Ah. I see." 

Taichi coughed into a fist as he reached forward towards the dim grey-and-green laptop that was set on the table beforehand, pulling it towards him and fingers flying across the keyboard as if it was the last thing he would ever do.

"First, we've got information on a new Ultimate Despair."

Everyone's eyes went up to the screen, the large screen that was formerly grey and now lighting up. 

"We spotted him around Towa City, like most of them."

A chill ran down Mukuro's back- there weren't a lot of things that made that happen, but that look of oddity in the man's purple eyes, although with the powerful cock of his head sent chills dancing along the hairs of her spine. 

"Kyosuke Munakata, the former Ultimate Student Council President... he was apart of Class 74, much like your teacher once was." 

Mukuro stared up into Kyosuke's eyes, taking note of the smirk that spread across his lips, knowing and smug. It was an expression she saw most often on Junko, but the way it just seemed to suit this man... it was _odd_ , for the lack of a better word. 

"He's creepy," her said sister complained. 

"Junko, could you just please shut up?" Fuyuhiko said harshly. 

In response, her sister batted her eyeslashes at him, and blew a kiss before going back to work.

"Right. I updated the Future Foundation handbook to include him in it- we've only gotten a few glimpses of him, according to Jataro, who was the first one to spot him-"

Nagisa coughed at his friends' name. 

"- but we can either assume that he was either important and in hiding, which means he probably has a higher rank, or he was unimportant and we didn't notice until now. His first footage was here... which was a video towards us."

A tap of a key, and Kyosuke's face disappeared, replaced by a setting with hues of red, brown, and black. 

Someone flocked in white walked out from the shadows, a single beam of light in the darkness of the video, but Mukuro knew, she knew that splatters of blood dotted his uniform, like the paint splatters when an artist would flick their brush, but it wasn't paint, it was blood. 

Her suspicions were confirmed as he walked into the focused view of the camera and spread his arms. Blood tainted his collar, chest, arms, cuffs, legs- everywhere. It seemed that there was as much white as there was red. 

"Members of Future Foundation," he began, a gleam in those flat purple eyes. "If this goes through correctly, if you choose to take notice of this video, I have... a deal for you."

The tension in the room rose, climbing higher and higher, buzzing as it nipped at everyone's hearts. 

"In exchange for several of our Ultimate Despairs, whom you may do whatever you wish to them, I want two of your members. That's all I require. If you give two certain members of your Future Foundation to me, I will give you.... hm, does ten seem like a reasonable number?"

"And that's where he end-" Taichi cut off, eyes widening as Kyosuke continued. 

"Your plan is to destroy the Ultimate Despair, right? Giving you ten would reduce our numbers. As for the two members..."

The leader of Future Foundation rapidly tapped at the keyboard, trying to stop the video, but his attempts fell flat.

_"I want Mukuro Ikusaba and Hajime Hinata."_

 She felt it.

She felt every eye that turned towards her, every eye that raked her body, expressions of pity and worry, and even her own sister's eyes landed on her. 

With that, the video turned off. 

Silence settled upon Mukuro's shoulders.

She should have expected it- a survivor of the first game. Kyosuke wouldn't have been stupid enough to ask for the Ultimate Hope herself. Why he would ask for Hajime was also a mystery, but Hajime wasn't here right now- he was in the hallway, probably, where she had last saw him. 

"Hah... we'd never trade Mukuro for the Ultimate Despair, right...?' Mahiru asked uneasily, looking around the room.

"... we could kill off ten of them if we did hand over Mukuro..."

_That's right, use me as if I was a tool. I am not actually a soldier, I am a machine._

"Mukuro is a symbol of hope, but would it be fitting to use that to eliminate some despair...?" 

Everything became cold. Nails dug into her palms. She became aware of the chilling blade that pressed against her thigh, concealed inside her clothes. She became away of the judgemental stares.

_I am not my sister. I am nothing. So what's the use debating if I should be used as a trading item?_

"What rank have you people fallen to?" 

A voice colder then her own mind broke through Mukuro's mind.

"You're saying that as if Mukuro doesn't have her own identity," Peko continued, standing up and staring at them all with steely red eyes. "You're saying that as if she's an item. Perhaps joining the Future Foundation really was a terrible choice on my part." 

"No, we would never think Mukuro as an item!" Sonia protested.

"Tell me that later, Sonia Nevermind," Peko said icily. "Do you think I don't understand the thought process of an object? There is no need to conceal it now due to the fact that the clan that raised me is dead, but I was a tool to protect my master. I didn't believe myself to be human, I didn't want to feel petty human emotions. And... now, I don't want anyone to experience it, that feeling. So, before you go deciding Mukuro's fate, perhaps you should at least let her partake in that discussion."

With that, the swordswoman removed herself from the table, and with a formal bow, said, "Pardon me, but I will gather my thoughts on the other side of the room." 

"My respect for her has increased by the tenfold," rumbled Gundam. "To have a commanding aura such as that... that is something I have not seen for centuries, not in this mortal world, or any others I have visited, much less hell." 

"Um, but she does have a point," Teruteru offered. "I want to hear the sweet voice of Mukuro croon-"

"I have a knife on me, Teruteru," Mukuro said calmly. 

Most people didn't doubt her. On either side of her, her companions scooted a few centimeters away from her. Teruteru, on the other hand, seemingly paled. "Ah, yes, of course... I didn't mean to bother you." 

"As expected of my sister!" Junko giggled, drawing one hand into her chest and making a fist while also making a cat-face. "Carryin' a knife around, teheheh~!"

"... as for the deal, I would prefer to stay with my sister, but either way... I went out to help destroy the Ultimate Despair, that's why I joined Future Foundation. Whenever it's mentally or physically destroying them... I don't care." 

Her last sentence floated around in the room, a cloud hanging over their heads. 

"You don't care..." Ryuji mused. 

"Mukuro... can I ask you leave the room for a moment? Perhaps a couple of minutes?"

The said soldier shrugged. "Whenever it be a few minutes or an hour, I don't mind. I think it would be better if I was left out of this conversation."

With that, she stood. "After all, all I am is the Ultimate Hope's older sister."

Bidding them farewell, Mukuro left the room. 

She heard footsteps behind her, and tensed, but as Peko fell into step beside her, she allowed her shoulders to fall. "Do you need something?"

"Not at all. I would much rather prefer being outside then in that room, but the outside is... corrupted, so I suppose the hallways will do," Peko sighed.

Taking longer strides, Mukuro stared hard at the ground. "I suppose you weren't joking about the identity thing?"

"Why would I do something such as that?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

_Nothing, just like I was._

 


	4. Entry 02

_Thoughts on the Mutual Killing Game_

**The following was the second record of the events in this notebook, which followed the first entry, which can be found here.**

**The handwriting is noticeably different.**  

* * *

The first Mutual Killing Game...

That was something to behold. 

I remember seeing Makoto brush by me, in school, yet I didn't take notice of the cold smile upon his lips, in contrast to the usual beaming one he wore. 

I didn't take notice of how he wasn't heading to the main building, but instead outside the premises, beyond where the school security could see him. With one last look over his shoulder, he had slipped away, without anyone noticing. 

I keep walking, at the time, until a couple hours later, once we were released, and I checked my phone, only to stare down at the bodies that littered the screen. 

The first Mutual Killing game...

A horrible, terrible tragedy that was known as the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy. 

Riots, screams, cries- I could hear it as bangs of the Reserve Course slam out and into the air, of them beating against and into the bars. 

I can almost already feel the blood dripping from my fingers, from where I had bit into my fingers as a bad habit, but this isn't from a bad habit- no. It's from the overwhelming _disgust_ I felt ripple through my body, the fact that there were thirteen dead students- our _student council_ , no less.

The one behind it all... was supposedly Genocider Syo.

Genocider Syo, a serial killer who upheld the title of the Ultimate Murderous Fiend. Wow, you're going to say- you really did your research on all of this.

I didn't ask to do this research. I didn't ask to know about the piles and piles of dead bodies on the streets. I didn't ask to watch as this world fall into despair, I didn't ask to become the side attraction while my sister was able to suck it all up and fight back. 

My sister, who was the Ultimate Hope. 

I merely a side-show attraction, but the side attraction still had to watch the main attraction and support them.

So I did. I held the universe on my shoulders, with its' claws digging into my shoulder blades, but I ignored the pain best I could as I watched my sister dance in the lights of society.

I didn't ask to watch killings go on all around me. I didn't ask to taint my hands with blood despite not committing murder. 

I didn't ask to exist in this world, in this era, where all it is, is endless killing. 


	5. Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My reasoning for Mukuro personality being different then the personality in the despair arc is because Junko is no longer obsessed with hope and despair, leaving Mukuro to her own devices. Mukuro still cares for her, but no to where she's basically in love with Junko, since Junko did not know she was the Ultimate Hope until the Mutual Killing Game.

As Peko walked calmly beside her, Mukuro with her hands resting by her side, the soldier's world was spinning.

"Ah! Mukuro!" 

She snapped out of her gaze, looking towards the source of the voice. Olive green eyes met her flat grey ones, furrowed into an expression of mild concern. 

It wasn't that often where Mukuro came upon somebody of the other division, much less the second division, seeing how often they were away. But Hajime Hinata was an exception. While he did belong in the second division, Hajime was much more of an all-round worker, so there were times where she saw him in the hallways, walking around and chatting to people.

"Do you need something?" 

"Kinda...?" He scratched at the back of his neck. "I have a favor to ask, actually... do you mind?"

"I have time on my hands," Mukuro said flatly, casting her thoughts to the back of her mind to focus on the person before her. "So not at all." 

Carefully, Hajime produced the notebook she had saw beforehand, prior to going to the meeting. It didn't looked worn, so she doubted he had used it much. "Could you hold onto this for me?" 

"... why me?" 

Hajime cocked his head, regarding her with an unknown emotion in his eyes. "So... you don't?"

Still holding the notebook out, his hand wavered in the slightest, being lowered. 

"No... I believe it'll be fine, I can take it."

"It's something I don't want to look at until later. Thanks." 

With that, Mukuro extended her own hand, wrapping her fingers around the notebook and pulling it to her chest. There was an aura to the notebook- that it had some history to it, a tale of darkness held between its' pages. 

"I don't mind if you read it," Hajime said quickly as he noticed her examining the cover. "Or even write it in, for that matter." 

There was something... off about the former Reserve Course student. The way his hands kept fiddling with his tie, impatiently raking through his hair, Mukuro could read signs of nervousness or anxiety. 

"... Hajime, there's something wrong." 

Peko had been the one to word it. It was clear that the swordswoman had an oddly keen sense for the meaning behind body language, as well as sharp eyes. 

Blinking, he turned towards her, hands now clasped behind his back, and giving a strange and fake laugh in response. "It's nothing, just some gut instincts. Nothing to worry about." 

Gut instincts. Something Mukuro, on her own, had learned to trust, only for that to shatter to pieces upon finding out that Makoto Naegi was the mastermind. The thought invaded her mind, and with great difficulty, the soldier had pushed it aside, only to find that it had been minutes since she had last spoken. 

Staring daggers at Hajime, Peko's gaze didn't move from him, as if challenging him to a fight- a debate, if you will. 

"Uh... you guys know where Nekomaru is?" 

"You know where it is. You're trying to pull us away from the subject."

"I- Look," the word was almost hissed, uncharacteristically angry for someone like him. "There's-" 

"Big Sis Mukuro~!" 

The sound of speeding wheels. All the three pairs of eyes swiveled to meet the green-haired girl rolling down the hallway before coming to a stop in front of them before Monaca clasped her hands together, beaming at the sight of them (although her attention was mostly focused on Mukuro).

"All right... Monaca...?" Hajime questioned blankly. 

"Big Sis Mukuro! Big Sis Mukuro! Where's Nagisa? And Big Sis Junko?" 

She sighed, turning to point up the stairs. After a moment of squinting at it, Monaca started to wheel towards the door next to it. "Okay, bubai~! Thank you! Oh, and Big Bro Hajime...?"

"Yeah."

Monaca smiled. "Warning them won't do any good." 

Then she was gone. 

_Warning them..._

Staring after the girl in the wheelchair, it took more than several moments for Hajime to speak. "Hey... Mukuro, Peko, if we lost this battle to despair..."

"There's no need to worry over it." Peko injected. 

"Yeah, I know, but don't you think hope has its' flaws too? You can't just complete eradicate despair, and make it disappear. It's pain, anger, depression, anxiety... all that negative emotion in a person's heart. And since this world will never be in complete happiness, that dark side will always exist." 

"Your point?" Mukuro asked blankly.

Hajime seemed startled, then closed his eyes and sighed. "You know how people in Future Foundation are trying to kill despair?" 

He gestured towards the notebook. "I said it in there- people like Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu and Nagito Komaeda."

"They have reasons behind their actions, Hajime," Peko said, a sharp edge to her voice. "Most definitely Yo- Fuyuhiko does. They're the one that tore his sister away from him." 

"No, that's not it. Sato was the one to take Natsumi Kuzuryuu away from Fuyuhiko."

At this, she looked surprised. "You knew... Sato and... her?" 

"Don't try and trick me, Peko. Even someone talentless like me catches things other people don't." 

_Unbelievable._

_Hajime Hinata. A Reserve Course Student, seemingly useless. Noted to have a keen eye and a knack for figuring out things._

 Hajime shrugged lightly as Peko's eyebrow raised. 

"Attention. Attention. All Future Foundation members report to the main entrance hall. Attention. Attention. All Future Foundation members report to the main entrance hall.

"All Future Foundation members?" He questioned, face now showing surprise. 

"Perhaps it's a mistake in the calling," Mukuro turned on her heel, starting to walk towards the main entrance hall.

 "They're going to regret everything then," Hajime muttered, trailing after her. 

Eyes darting to the side to watch him, Mukuro studied him. 

Looking at him, he reminded her of... someone. 

A jagged pain ran through her body, and immediately every moment, thought, and memory in her brain seemed to stop in it's train tracks.

_Makoto Naegi._

Hajime was taller (and more built-out rather then Makoto's rather skinny frame), with sharper, more narrowed eyes and a different shade of hair. Compared to Makoto's fake, unbelievably kind and sweet personality, Hajime was full of salt and sass from what she had seen in school. 

He had toned it down when he joined Future Foundation, but that had come from the helpless Hajime who believed himself to be useless, worthless, and talentless, but he found himself a role in Future Foundation. 

"Mukuro...?" 

The world whirled before her, and she realized that she had froze, hands curled by her sides, trembling and shaking violently. 

"I... sorry," she immediately apologized, brushing past him without another word.

"But-"

"Hajime," Peko's voice was soft. "Leave her be." 

There was an implicit message between them, because Hajime went silent, only for the click of shoes to be heard behind Mukuro.

She guessed that he was behind her, but not walking in a way so that his pace would quicken so he could catch up to her. He was polite. Reserved. Somewhat friendly. 

It took about ten minutes to arrive at the entrance hall, the double-doors to the hall filled with a single-file line in each entrance. 

Baskets rested on the sides of the doors, filled to the brim with bracelets. They seemed like nothing special- one half of the bracelet was white, while the other was black, much like the Monokuma mascot. 

As she neared, she noticed almost everyone fishing a bracelet out of the basket. Sometimes people returned with another basket fill of bracelets every single time one emptied.

The man near the doorway rested with his hands shoved into his pockets, lazily calling out, "Everyone has to take one..." 

As Mukuro picked up one bracelet, she examined it, finding nothing interesting. Making eye-contact with the man at the doorway, whose's pin read 'Takumi Hijirihara'. 

Upon meeting eyes, he gave a slow blink in response before shrugging, doing it before she even opened her mouth. 

_I suppose he doesn't know, then..._

Mukuro slid the bracelet onto her wrist, looking at it again for the slightest of moments as she entered the entrance hall.

While Future Foundation was a new 'company' (if you will) that had blossomed under the effect of despair. Many people had been killed in the streets, but each of the divisions had up to twenty to forty people- that's what Mukuro guessed, anyway. 

It wasn't just Japan- these were people from around the world- the entire world. The numbers... seemed measly. 

As Mukuro dodged people who were roaming around, an arm was flung over her shoulder. The soldier just caught glimpse of long, fake, blood-red nails before the world spun and she was facing her sister.

"Muku!" Junko placed her hands on her cheeks, eyes widening in the moment, sparkling blue. 

"Hello," Mukuro said simply.

Junko took a step back, setting her hands on her hips. Rather then the clothing she was wearing beforehand, the fashionista was now wearing some kind of jacket with a leopard print, a purse dangling from her wrist. 

"Man, did you see the stuff they gave us? These bracelets?"

In one manicured hand, Junko held up the bracelet that was at the entrance.

"Um, yes, actually..." Mukuro held out her wrist to show her sister that she had picked one up. 

"It's, like, _soooooo_ unfashionable! Like, ew~! It totally clashes with my outfit right now!" 

"I don't think it directly has to be linked to you, Junko... everyone's wearing them..."

Junko let out a huff, puffing out her cheeks. 

"Nuh-uh! I'm not!" She waved the bracelet for emphasis and held up her naked wrist. 

"Ah, but I do believe it's maditary for you to wear them!" 

"I think you mean mandatory..." Mukuro corrected, eyes darting side to side in search for the voice. Almost instantly, blonde flared in her vision. 

Sonia cocked her head to the side, clasping her hands together as her eyes shone. "Oh, is that the word? Why, thank you! I have been looking for the correct term for forever, since no one has given it to me!"

"Well, there ya go," Junko commented with a roll of her eyes. 

Holding up her wrist, Sonia proudly displayed the bracelet. 

"You should wear it! Then we can all be soul-buddies!" She exclaimed, eyes shining with determination. 

"I don't think that's how it works..." Someone said from behind her. 

Sonia whipped around, her blonde hair flying to face Nagisa. Immediately, she linked her arms with him, lifting it up so the other two could see. "We are already bonded!" 

Nagisa murmured something, pulling his arm away from her. "He's saying something."

Immediately, everyone's gaze flicked towards where the stage was.

Taichi was standing on it, tilting his head to murmur something to Ryuji, Nekomaru on his other side.

Stepping up, the brown-haired man cleared his throat and spoke into the microphone. 

"U-Um... can e-everyone hear me...?" 

A shuddering, sharp crack ensued from the microphone, and everyone winced simultaneously. 

"Ah... s-sorry! Um, well... I can assume t-that everyone picked up the bracelet...?"

"Get a move on with it already!" Someone yelled from the crowd.

Ryuji narrowed his eyes in the general direction of them in response. 

Rubbing at his wrist, Taichi looked clearly uncomfortable. Yet, with the threatening loom of Nekomaru and Ryuji on either side of him, Mukuro felt compelled to listen to him, through and through. Nekomaru was the tallest Future Foundation member they had, as well as the burliest, and Ryuji was close to him through height. 

"Well, the bracelets are important, s-so, if you didn't pick one up, I s-suggest you do so n-now!"

A mumble. Several people headed back to the door, and Mukuro caught glimpse of Takumi facepalming. 

Taichi waited a few minutes for the people that went to retrieve their bracelets to come back.

"As you may not, the decrease of the despair's activity is in motion... but t-they are still happening! The kills, the bad situations... they're still happening, but t-they're not at their peak anymore. So... u-um, we devised a small... plan that will hopefully work so we can round up the despairs." 

"Oi, Fujisaki!" A voice that sounded similar to Fuyuhiko yelled. "Why don't we kill 'em on sight?" 

"Well, o-one, they're very manipulative, and two, they're nimble, so it's hard to get yo-your hands on them and throughly k-kill them... and if they're rounded up, they could go back o-on the road to recovery..."

A mumble of uneasy rippled through the crowd.

"Recovery? Fujisaki thinks they can recover! His son was a victim of them, for god's sake!" 

"The man's finally gone cray-cray!" 

"Allow him to speak!" Nekomaru bellowed, his voice echoing across the room. The room went silent in an instant. 

"W-Well... each of your bands has an action. We called these NG Codes. It's the thing you're trying to do."

Thousands of vibrations ran through the air, red blinking like faery lights in the midst of the bodies. 

Mukuro's own bracelet vibrated against her wrist, and she brought it up for inspection. 

**'Capture Koichi Kizakura'**

The red words ran from the beginning of the black side to the end of the black side, lined in red before it faded.

Bringing her fingertips to the surface, it lit up under her skin, displaying the words again. Out of the corner of her eye, Mukuro could spot her sister, Nagisa, and Sonia all doing the same thing. 

"The bracelets all have di-different things," Taichi explained. "Excluding a few of them, since some of the things require two people or more. Ng Codes are a v-variety of different things, like h-helping with medical supplies, m-managing to capture one of the members of Despair, and something likewise to that. Y-You may pair up w-with someone if you wish to help each other complete their codes..."

"Your code is your first priority," Ryuji swept in where Taichi trailed off. "Once you complete it, we'll erase it from your bracelet. If you're willing to take up another NG Code to perform, we will give you another. If you're not... you'll keep doing what you do nowadays." 

Mukuro could tell some were thoroughly interested by these 'NG Codes'. She stared down at hers, eye furrowed, contemplating how to react.

"Muku, what's yours?" 

"It's... it's capturing someone," Was the soldier's only reply. She wasn't comfortable with revealing the name right now, although it rung a bell in her head.

"Really? Man, that's fuckin' amazin'! At least you get to get your ass out in that world! I gotta stay here and do some shit with fuckin' food supplies!" Junko growled out. 

Taichi seemed to be done with his announcement, having left the stage. 

The chatter of people rebounded clearly in the entire room, some excited by the idea, some finding it lame. 

Nagisa had disappeared, although Mukuro could just barely see the back of his blue cowlicks before they disappeared into the crowd. 

Koichi Kizakura.

Mukuro turned her back to Junko, leaving her sister's side.

It was an odd thing to do, honestly. It felt like she was on a battlefield. In the simplest of senses, she _was._  Despair was a fight that you either let it corrupt you or you lose apart of yourself trying. 

Once she was outside, the drums in her ears lessened.

Yet, the loudest of people... the loudest person she had ever met was leaning against the steel wall outside the entrance hall. 

"Hmmm... hmmm..."

She had her hands up, touching the two of her fingers of either head to her temples as if she was teleporting or something akin to that. 

"Hmmmm..."

In an instant, the moment when Mukuro's boot met the ground, her eyes snapped open.

"Mukuro-chan!" Ibuki Mioda threw her hands up, letting out a delighted cry. 

Ibuki was apart of the class above Mukuro: the 77th class, much like most of the Division leaders, which included Ryuji, Fuyuhiko, Mahiru, Sonia... most of them were apart of the class. 

As the former musician, she was... just as loud as her talent was expected to be. 

"Didya' get an NG Code?" Ibuki waved her right hand around, showing off the identical black-and-white band. "It was Ibuki's idea? Are you proud of her? She was really, really, super-duper, amazingly-awesomely- huh, I'm missing another word! Buuuuuuut, she's super happy with that idea! Hehehe!" 

"I guess it's a good idea to get our priorities in Future Foundation straight," Mukuro mused.

"Yup, yup, yup! Four yups!"

"That's three." 

"Nope! That's four! Yup, yup, yup, and yup! Oh, that's an oxymoron. Nope and yup in the same sentence!" 

"All right," Mukuro was about to retreat when her band bumped against her wrist. "Do... do you happen to be okay with me asking a question?"

"Hm? An inquiry? For dear Ibuki Mioda! Why, offff course~!"

"Do you happen to know anyone by the name Koichi Kizakura?" 

Ibuki was happy. She always held her head up high, boasting with her strange words, no matter what.

But hurt, something she had buried, flashed deep within those eyes... regret? Betrayal?

"Kizakura-sensei...?" 

_Sensei?_

"Oh."

It was if Ibuki's attitude swiftly moved gears. 

"Kizakura-sensei... was a sensei!" 

And with that, the musician left in a rush. For someone who spent most of her life onstage, she was surprisingly fast. "Byyyyyyeeee Mukuro-chan~!"

_What... was that about?_

 

 

 


	6. Of

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, hello, I'm alive-
> 
> Also, I have been working on... quite a bit of things, actually. I published a book! Two, actually. They're available at https://slipperandfriends.com , or slipperandfriends.com! They're children's book, granted, but I would appreciate if you could drop by.

Mukuro played absently with her bracelet, watching the retreating back of Ibuki Mioda. 

_Kizakura-sensei... was a sensei..._

They both had gone to Hope's Peak Academy, Ibuki as a musician and Mukuro as a soldier. And since Ibuki was a year older than her... did that mean Koichi Kizakura was their class teacher? 

Sighing, the former soldier turned around, eyeing where people had begun to fill out from the place where she had exited. 

Leaning against the wall, Mukuro locked her hands behind her back, dull grey irises finding the ground and loosely focusing on it with the attention span of someone who was willing to stay there a long time.

And so she did. 

She didn't now what time it was until the soft voice of a boy rang throughout the hall.

"Ohhh, waffle man, waffle man, do you want a waffle man?" 

Releasing a sharp sigh, Mukuro's eyes flashed open, one hand flying to her hip in the instinct of her former battlefield. But all it was, was a little boy with a mask, arms raised slightly and sleeves pulled over his hands.

"Whooooooaaaaaaa, miss, were you about to try and hurt me?" He questioned, tilting his head to the side. 

Mukuro stared him down for a moment- where had he seen this boy before? 

The boy let out a childish snort, bringing the sleeve to his mouth, but she had still caught glimpse of his teeth. "Oh, I've seen you around, but you probably haven't me. Everyone hates me, 'cuz I'm hated!" 

She let her hand drop from her hip, letting out a deep sigh. "Who are you?" 

"Ja-ta-ro~!" The child said, letting out a small snort. "Jataro Kemuri!" 

So this was the Jataro Kemuri. She had never formally met him, but both Nagisa and Monaca knew of Jataro, which was the only reason why Mukuro recognized the name. 

Carefully, the boy roll up one of his sleeves to expose the bangle on his wrist- the same bangle everyone else had with different lettering. With his stubby fingers touching the bangle, Jataro lifted it to Mukuro's eye-level. 

"This is mine. Boriiiiiiiiiiiiiing, but I guess someone has to do all the work," Jataro let his mouth part in a small 'o'. "Someone hated doin' the work is better then someone likable doing the work." 

Mukuro caught his wrist, fingernails digging into his skin. Eyes looked down upon the shorter boy, and it was a moment before the former soldier exhaled. "Why are you in Future Foundation...?" 

"Me?" 

"Yes. Who else would I be talking to...?" 

Jataro tugged his wrist from her grip, letting his gaze drop. "Uhhh... just 'cuz Monaca and Nagisa joined, I guess..." 

Mukuro opened her mouth to say a reply, but something crackled over the speakers.

"ATTENTION TO ALL FUTURE FOUNDATION MEMBERS!" Kurokuma screamed, his usually thick accent none-existent. "WE HAVE A BREACH OR WHATEVER THE HELL IT'S CALLED ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BUILDING!"

"Future Foundation is made out of three buildings..." Mukuro muttered in irritation, fingers seizing onto the front of Jataro's sleeve as the little boy made an attempt to run towards the right side of the building. "You stay here." 

"Huuuuuh?" Jataro protested. "But-" 

"Stay here," she commanded, allowing her fingers to brush against the blade she kept against her hip. "Or else the commotion won't be the thing that's hurting you."

His eyes widened in awe for a moment, but stilled in his movement, so Mukuro let go off his sleeve before she started running. Feet hit the floor in fury, speed gaining to Mukuro's limbs as her mind flashed between the battle field and the setting she was actually in at the moment. 

The first thing she smelt was smoke. 

Half of the wall was cracked open, one shadow ahead of the others with flames blooming forward from their arms. 

"Hiyaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!" Ibuki screamed in surprise, hands coming up to clasp over her mouth. "What's this, what's this! FIREEEEEEEEEEE!"

"No kidding," Hajime remarked. Turning around, the brunet yelled some orders to those who were filling in. Mukuro lifted her blade from it's shealth, eyes squinting through the haze of smoke and fire as tears began to leak from her eyes from the sting. 

"Yoi-chan~!" A female voice called from within the fire. "I think that's enough for now, mmkay~? I think we have guests!" 

"Guests, my ass!" Fuyuhiko barked. 

_Yoi-chan...?_

There was a hiss of fire meeting water, and Mukuro's eyes flitted to the side just to catch glimpse the view of Nekomaru tossing water onto a pit of fire. 

The brunt noise that had been buzzing in the background disappeared, and a two figures appeared at the edge of the fire. 

Cradled in someone's arms, the pink-haired woman dropped to her feet, hands clasped behind her back as she landed. 

"Hello~!" 

The person who was carrying her... was more machine then human. 

A mask spread over the lower half of their face, made out of iron, and it almost looked like it was a air vent strapped to a surface formatted to fit the lower half of the face. Slits were scorched into the metal to make room for breathing, but no sound came from them. Pipes of metal ran along their jawline and ear to connect to their back, but otherwise, their face was exposed. 

Mukuro narrowed her eyes at the pink-haired woman, fingers unfreezing from their place to hide a small blade within her palm. All within herself, she seemed innocent, but the fire and the man behind her destroyed the image. 

She looked side to side, petite lips curving into a frown. "Hm. I thought people with hope would have a better place. A place that doesn't crumble to ashes that easily. Or perhaps that's a symbol of how easily your will can break from _despair?_ " 

Tensing, Mukuro allowed her gaze to fall on the girl's face, where a smile had broken free. A smile of sadistic pleasure, of the chaos that had bloomed from the fire licking at the material. 

"Yoi-chan," she referred to the mass of human flesh and metal behind her. _"Burn everything."_

As 'Yoi-chan' stepped up next to her, Mukuro got a glimpse of the metal coating his body. It was more armor then anything, with metal plates. But those metal plates shifted around on their own, accommodating for weak spots that appeared every so often on his body. When Mukuro focused on where his skin was exposed, the plates would move and adjust and the weak spot would disappear. 

On his arms, which were probably the bulkiest of all the metal, above the shifting armor, lay a box which fizzled with electricity. As people desperately tried to stop the fire, two guns rose from the box, and there was a click before flames burst to life in front of Mukuro.

The soldier leapt back on instinct, the hiss of flames only coming near her ankles. Lifting her gaze, she glanced sideways towards Ibuki desperately trying to lift a huge bucket of water.

_If he keeps lighting things on fire, there's almost no chance of fully getting rid of all the fire. We have to get rid of the source._

"What the hell?!" 

A shadow sailed over the fire, and Mukuro jumped out of the way, the dull roar of Nekomaru Nidai screaming in her ears. In a mess of black and silvery-grey, someone rolled and stood up on her feet. 

Peko Pekoyama jumped out after the figure, brandishing her shinai. 

As the figure stood, slitted purple eyes peering out from under bangs, Mukuro switched her position so that the gleam of metal stuck out like a sore thumb. Leaping towards the hunk of metal, she brought the blade up to slash across his face.

Something hit her in the gut. A breath wheezed out of her, stolen from her lungs as the soldier barely caught glimpse of the metal fist interlocked with her stomach. Time ticked by in slow-motion for a few moments, as the human-machine's eyes flickered up, brick red eyes locking on hers before Mukuro flew into a wall. 

The blade had flew out of her hand at some point in time, and she bent over, clutching her stomach as her head only increased in dizziness, the space behind her eyes aching. 

"G-Get out of my w-way, Izayoi!" A trembling voice snarled, their words sharp-edged despite the stutter.

_Izayoi...Yoi-chan._

_Sonosuke Izayoi, former SHSL Blacksmith. Formerly apart of the 76th class. Expelled._

Sonosuke stood, paying the stuttering figure no attention. His irises look dead, drained of life, the only light in them the flicker of flames, the path he was roving made of destruction. 

"You're allowed to reply to her, Yoi-chan!" The pink-haired female called. She still stood with her hands clasped behind her back, watching everyone panic and attempt to put out the fire. 

He held up an arm, the gun raising again before it spat flames at the figure. 

"Kimura-senpai," Peko called quietly, her voice even against the batting flames. "I request that you focus on me, not Izayoi-senpai." 

'Kimura-senpai' hissed, scrambling away from where the flames had hit, landing on all fours parallel to Peko. "S-Shut up," she growled, baring sharp canines.

The expelled part of the 76th.

Makoto Naegi had gotten to them, through and through. Mukuro had no memories of the expelled students, most likely because they were expelled before she had met them. But then how had Makoto reached them? How did he tear his hearts to shreds and fill the empty holes and patches with his despair? 

Mukuro stood, one hand still held protectively against her stomach as if to defend herself from another blow.

Eyes flickered between the steam rising from the fire and the female that still remained unidentified, who stood in the middle of it all like some queen, watching her machine do all the dirty work. 

The soldier rose, taking a few stalking steps forward as the noise behind her dulled, becoming numb in her ears. The yells of Fuyuhiko, Sonia, Nekomaru, Ibuki, and everyone else faded to nothing but voices underwater. 

"Ruruka Ando." 

The whisper was low, Mukuro picking up pace, strides becoming lengthier, quicker as the distance between Ruruka and her shortened. 

A blade flicked open in her palm, and she lunged. 

She could see the night being lit on fire in Ruruka's eyes.

All this woman wanted was this world to _burn._

Mukuro wasted no time in pulling the blade across Ruruka's forearm, head blank and instincts flooding her blood and veins. On the battlefield again, you couldn't think. Every movement was either wasted or used wisely- there was no in between. 

Hands latched onto the petite's girls wrists, twisting, and light-purple eyes widened, teeth ground into her lip.

The soldier twisted her forward, bodies dancing around the flame, slamming the despair into the ground. Ruruka let out a hiss, and Mukuro kept her fingers locked around her wrists, printing the cold kiss of the blade against her neck. 

At least until the distraction that stole Sonosuke's attention disappeared.

She flew back when Sonosuke's fist slammed into her shoulder, an audible crack shuddering through the air.

Sprawled across the ground, Mukuro watched through narrowed eyes, chest and shoulder aching as she tried to catch her breath.

"Help me up, Yoi-chan."

It was only after Ruruka said the command when he offered a hand to her, and she pulled herself to her feet. "You did something without my command."

No response.

"Tell me why."

It was only then when the former Ultimate Blacksmith spoke, voice grating.

"I could not let her hurt you."

Sonosuke only does things with Ruruka's command.

As Mukuro stood, there was a cry.

The soldier looked to the side, ignoring the barks of the Future Foundation members, only to see Peko and Seiko clashing, the latter's claws raking across the shinai.

Mukuro darted from her spot, one hand brought up in a position to jab into the spot below Seiko's ribcage.

For a moment, Mukuro caught Peko's eye.

For a moment, Peko caught Mukuro's eye.

A mutual nod.

Her fingers found the spot underneath Seiko's ribcage, and the soldier could hear the pharmacist wheezing the instant she pushed forward. Choking for breath, purple irises scrunches together in a small moment of weakness.

Flipping her sword grip as if to swing a hammer sideways, Peko brought the sword across Seiko's face.

There was a screech of pain, the remnant flying backwards with a rather evident red mark on her cheek.

"Why you...!" she shrieked out, the voice having been squawked out.

A tan blur leaped over the fire, the cry of "Akane!", "AKANE OWARI!", and "OWARI!" following it.

The form landed gracefully, arms swept out to the side, poised as if to grab something.

The grin on the tan woman's face made her brown irises shine brighter, lips stretching back in a wild smile.

In one fluid motion, she drew her arm back and whacked Seiko cleanly across the face.

Just as the pharmacist was recovering (again), the female darted to take on Sonosuke.

Arms locked onto his metal plates, fingernails stretching across mental.

"We cannot take forever to watch Owari fight," Peko told Mukuro, and the soldier's gaze flicked to her. "We must take actions upon our own thoughts."

With that, she leapt, hands hooking onto the metal on the side of Sonosuke's face, pulling his attention forcibly and painfully (twisting his neck) while Akane lay blow upon blow on his armor.

Mukuro stole another glance at the collapsed Seiko, who's hair fell in front of her face. She lay motionless, locks dangling in the loneliest of ways.

In a split decision, Mukuro darted from her spot to whip a blade at Ruruka while the blacksmith was distracted.

_These are the remnants of Makoto's despair._


End file.
